The St. Johns herald., 1887-01-20

follow the advice of the Critic up on this subject, all taxpayers would be perfectly justiiiable in going to the County Treasurer and stating the terms upon which they would pay their taxes, and the terms upon which they would not.
 The County Assessor is paid a salary for assessing and appraising the value upon all taxable proper tv in the county, and the same laws which govern him in assessing pri- vatc individuals, govern him in as sessing corporations; then if 1t be legally pioper that lle should be ! ignored in his assessment upon the property of corporation, why can he not be ignored by any and all itaX-payers? And ii a corporation Is lawfully iustitiable in coming to the County Treasurer, without any regard for their assessments, and saying We will pay you what We think q just assessment, or we will pay you nothing, why should not every taxpayer have the same right? Taxes are paid because the law demands 1t, and not because of the charitable instincts of the in- dividuals, and if corporation can dictate its terms of taxation, so, likewise, can any private individual.
 We do not believe that the At lantic and Pacific Railroad Com pany Is assessed any more for their l property than cattlemen are for their cattle; sheep men for their sheep, or horsemen for thelr horses. In other words, the assessed valua- tion placed upon cattle and all oth- CT property in the county, in pro- portion, is just as great as that placed upon the railroad property, and, If the railroad Is subject to taxation at all, it must recognize the assessment of the assessor the same as any one else.
 We cannot account at all for the stand the Critic IS taking in this matter, recalling as We do the scath- ing dcnunciations in which he fought corporations little over q year ago, in that they were confined to the same restrictions in taxation as private citizens. But, as sug- i gcstcd "dcad head" may cause evgA more peculiar freaks than this. 1 If the $2,700 paid by the Rail road is considered by that Compa- ny as the sum total tax upon all their property in this county, why do they want to pay an additional tax upon compromise of $2,000 per mile? If this be their entire tax, what is the object of q com promise of whatever nature? If 2,700, in their consideration Is q just tax upon ali their taxable prop erty in this county, why do they want to compromise at $2,000 per mile, and pay $6,720 ipstcad? Pro- bably it is generosity-a bonus-a something in the way of encourage ment.
 We say again that if the proper ty of the Atlantic and Pacific Rail- road Company is subject or liable to taxation in Apache county, so is it subject and liable to the assess mcnt of the County Assessor; and if liable to taxation, the Board of Supervisors had no more right to enter into compromise with them than they had to compromise the taxes of every taxpayer of the county. The matter now, as to whether this Company Is liable to taxation or not is within the courts. The county has obtained the best legal advice at her command to as- sist the District Attorney in defend 1 ing her claim, and is being defend ed i'll q creditablc and honest man ner, and in a way conmendablo to the attorneys entrusted with the case. As to the fee paid her coun- sel, we believe the Board of Super visors views of the matter are as good, if not better than those of the itinerant and headed Critic? -
 FOR THE benefit of our readers,